Thrifty Tip: Wear Clothes Twice Before Washing Them

Do you find yourself going through several bottles of laundry detergent in a single month? Does having your washer constantly running leave you cringing every time the water bill shows up? Are you appalled by how fast different clothing seems to shrink – right before your very eyes? Would you like to go a little “greener” with your family’s laundry?

Well, this next Thrifty Tip will help you change all that! Are you ready? Okay…here goes:

Wear your clothing twice before washing it!

Now, before you shout “Eeewww!” hear me out. 😉

I’m not advocating wearing  the same outfit for two days in a row, nor am I saying it’s suddenly en vogue to re-wear one’s undies and socks (because frankly, that IS “Eeewww!”). What I’m suggesting is that you consider re-wearing visibly clean items like shirts, pants, skirts and dresses for more than one day BEFORE throwing them in the washer.

You may not realize it, but more often than not, the clothes that you wear in a day aren’t all that dirty by the time you take them off. So instead of immediately throwing them in the hamper, hang them to air out a bit, and re-wear them later that week or next.

Of course, if you’re sporting a spaghetti sauce stain, or your son’s t-shirt smells bad (teenage boy, anyone?) then by all means – wash away! But to really extend the life of your clothing, reduce shrinking, and save money on both detergent and water, consider wearing your outfits more than once. (Please note that I do not suggest applying this practice to things like socks and undies. Ahem.)

This practice actually works really well for sweaters and jeans, which tend to get a lot of use this time of year. They’re also prone to shrinkage (both), pilling (sweaters) and general wearing out (both).

A few rules to remember:

1) Hang clothes up so they can “air out” – never stuff them back inside your dresser drawers. (This is especially good practice for dressier items like suits and church and/or work clothes!)

2)  Don’t re-wear the exact same outfit two days in a row. Instead, wear a pair of jeans and a sweater on Monday and re-wear it on Thursday. (You get the idea.)

3) Due to bacteria, sweat, and a general “ick” factor, this practice does not apply to socks or undergarments.

4) If it’s clearly stained or otherwise dirty, just wash it. 😉

Have you done this- do you wear your clothes more than once to save money?

About Karrie

Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...